


The Enemy of My Enemy

by gothamvillains



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, post-4x11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-02-28 23:46:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13282428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothamvillains/pseuds/gothamvillains
Summary: After escaping from Arkham, Oswald Cobblepot teams up with a desperate Lee Thompkins to take down the Falcone gang and reclaim his city, inadvertently alignmening himself with an old ally he thought long forgotten.





	1. An Uneasy Alliance

**Author's Note:**

> New fic, yay!
> 
> There might be a few non-mentioned ships popping up (Jim/Lee, Barbara/Tabitha, etc.), but they won’t be the main focus. Also, even though this is a Nygmobblepot fic, there’s going to be a lot of other plot going on and a lot of other dynamics being explored alongside theirs.
> 
> I will update the tags as needed.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when all seems lost, Lee is offered a ray of hope in the ongoing fight against Sofia Falcone, but not everyone is as happy with the proposed plan as she is.

“Is he going to be alright, Doc?”

Lee drew out her stethoscope and knelt down besides the mother, ailing son cradled in her arms as he shook with a feverish chill. A decent-sized audience had gathered around them by then, whispers buzzing about regarding some shift in power occurring over the course of the last few weeks that now filled the air with scraps of trivial gossip. It was enough to make Lee freeze in her place, feeling less and less powerful with every jab and dirty glance that came her way from people who knew their most trusted leader was about to leave them all defenseless in the midsts of a violent and reckoned war ground.

_“Rumor has it that Falcone’s daughter is coming after this land.”_

_“And did you hear that the Doc’s practicality run out of medicine? That’s why she looks so panicked about this.”_

_“Everyone knows that her rule is already over. She’s about as useful to us now as the police.”_

Lee clenched her eyes shut, desperately trying to shut out all the chatter and focus on the task at hand if only to prove them wrong.

“Doctor…?”

“I’m sorry. I’m trying. It’s a bit difficult to run this test without all of my equipment.”

“But will he be okay?”

“I…” Lee looked up towards the man in green standing behind her, begging him to offer some kind of alternative plan in the face of a hopeless situation. A hopeless situation. That was what it was. No scheme or bargain for mercy could help the two now, and that meant there was no helping the rest of them either. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I have anything that can save him.”

“This is the fifth patient you’ve denied this week, Doc. I’m beginning to wonder if you’re losing your grip on our area.”

“ _Hey_ ,” Edward snapped, glaring at the unkempt man whose name he made a mental note to track down afterwards. “Doctor Thompkins has already healed a dozen of your people this month alone. If you’d rather fend for yourself then you can take your chances out in the main part of town. I hear the police just managed to arrest another convict and only let four people get stabbed this time before catching him.”

“Enough, Ed, this isn’t helping,” Lee sighed, stretching upwards and grabbing hold of his arm. “Come on. I need to talk to you.”

Edward obliged, letting her drag him away from the crowd and off behind closed doors where she collapsed down onto their couch with a heavy sigh, head hung low and hands wringing through her hair with the presence of a person already surrendered. It was an uphill battle, he knew that, and they’d been dancing around the subject for weeks with full knowledge that their kingdom was falling apart before them though it went unspoken. Still, there had been a tiny part of his brain always hoping that he‘d only imagined the tension in his head.

“We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Edward asked, earning a slow and remorseful nod in response.

“Sofia hasn’t been able to take the Narrows from us yet, but she’s just about cornered every pharmacy in town to cut off our means of supplies. She’s trying to push me out, and it’s working.”

“Don’t say that. There has to be _something_ we can do.”

“There’s too much bad blood now to even think about negotiating. The only way would be if Sofia was taken out of power, but we have nowhere near enough men and weapons to go to war with her.”

“ _No_ , you don’t,” a voice agreed, standing in the middle of the doorway which had been opened without detection. “And that’s why you need me.”

“ _Penguin_? You have a lot of nerve showing up here,” Lee fumed, quickly rising from her seat in preparation of an ambush. Oswald offered back a mere smirk in response, face practically glowing as he basked in the enjoyment of the game. He sized Lee up, finding a far different person from the M.E. that he’d known when she had interrupted their battle plans with news of her pregnancy.

“I must say, Doctor Thompkins, I admire this new persona you’ve taken on. Veering away from Jim and his infuriating holier-than-thou complex is always a good form of self-improvement… And, _Ed_. Gotta be honest, I preferred you as an ice block.”

“And I preferred you in Arkham. It’s funny, I didn’t realize they let you come and go as you please.”

“I met a young man who offered out his hand in companionship. A little too unpredictable for my taste, perhaps, but at least it got me out of that hellhole.”

“And after all of that, you chose to come _here_?”

“Rumor had it that Sofia hadn’t managed to completely take over this area yet, and I thought that we could help each other out in the name of a common enemy. I think you’ll find that I can be a valuable asset to your cause.”

“After what you did to me, Oswald, I’d rather she take over than have to put up with you again,” Edward grimaced, defensive though it was taking a considerable amount of effort to keep up the facade. Lee opened her mouth to argue against turning down the deal so hastily when Oswald’s face suddenly turned into an expression of loathing to match his rival’s, clearly not too pleased with him either.

“Don’t think you were my first choice in ally, Ed. I heard about the clown show, and the way you so eagerly rallied up the crowd at my expense. What was that chant you made again? ‘Stupid, lame, birdbrain’? Yeah, I heard about that. Well, let me assure you, there are quite a few words I could think up to call you as well, but now is not the time. There is a greater purpose here than petty feuds, and if you can’t see that then prepare to find yourself on the casualty side of this war.”

“Fine by me. I’d rather die than become so pathetic as to go crawling for help from the man who turned me into a spectacle for five months.”

“Well then, too bad it’s not completely up to you.”

“I’m sure Doctor Thompkins agrees that nothing good could come out accepting this proposal. Tell him, Lee,” Edward directed, hoping to gain some help in standing his ground. But Lee’s attention had turned back towards the floor, eyebrows furrowed in deep contemplation as she seemed to be mauling the idea over. “Lee? You’re not _actually_ considering this, are you?”

“We won’t be able to carry on much longer if we don’t do something soon, Ed. I’m sorry, but this may be the very chance we’ve been waiting for.”

“And there you have it!” Oswald laughed, reveling at the look of defeat that was starting to form on the other man’s face. “Desperate times, am I right?”

Edward huffed, turning solemn with annoyance as Oswald offered out his hand to Lee as a final chance of backing down. She looked at it, hesitantly, seeming to deflate at her being forced to take another step into the dark abyss that was Gotham’s underworld, but there was still a long way to go from who she was now to becoming a monster like Penguin, and that wasn’t going to change just because the occasion called for a plan bordering more on the line of corrupt. Besides, even the noblest of men knew that there were moments when morals had to be blurred for the sake of the greater good, and taking down Sofia Falcone was as worthy a cause to blur them as she had ever heard. It was true what Oswald had said, and she kept reminding that to herself as she stretched out her arm and shook his hand as final proof of their allegiance.

“Desperate times…”

 

* * *

 

“Let me help you with that,” Barbara offered, taking the match from Butch with a smile too sweet to be genuine. She struck it against the box, igniting a flame that she distributed onto the four candles placed around the table before blowing it out and returning the container back to her companion.

“Thanks.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

“You know, I have to admit, I felt a little betrayed at first when Tabitha said you were working together, but now I think I’m finally starting to see for myself the same growth that made her come back.”

“Well, what can I say, Butch? I’ve matured a lot since that little incident we had. I’m just happy you’re here and doing alright again.”

“I’d be doing a whole lot better if we could just hurry up and get this Penguin thing figured out,” he sighed, feeling as though nothing had changed during the months he’d been gone.

“Don’t you worry your pretty, undead mind, Butchy. Selina and Tabitha should be back any minute now with an update, and then I have a secret weapon of my own arriving shortly thereafter.”

“What the hell are you talking about—?”

“Ah! Speak of the devils.”

Selina entered the room with an air of annoyance and defeat that informed the other two of how their outing had gone without even having to ask. She found herself an empty chair to unwind and wash off the dissapoint from the day, dumping down next to it a black duffel bag filled to the brim with an artillery of firearms that had gone tragically untouched due to the lack of action on the streets.

“I take it there’s still no sign of Penguin since he escaped Arkham then?”

“ _Nope_. The man’s as vanished as a ghost.”

“I’ll say,” Tabitha grumbled, walking in behind her with a similar weight of disappointment hanging over her shoulders. “We checked all the warehouses, every dock, every gang, and nothing. Sofia may have to start always keeping a gun on hand just to be safe.”

“Couldn’t hurt,” Barbara smirked, turning around on her heel in direction of the bar. Tabitha trailed after her, waiting until they were beyond earshot before clearing her throat as she debated the best possible way to approach the subject.

“Something the matter, Tabby?”

“Were you and Butch talking back there before we came in?”  
  
“Briefly. Why? I thought you wanted me to play nice.”  
  
“I do!” She rushed, already worried that the conversation was turning sour. “I’m just nervous about what you’re saying to him while I’m not around. If you were to accidentally mention something that’d trigger him to remember being Grundy, he might—”  
  
“He might _what_? Kill me because he and Nygma performed in some fight club while he was a mindless zombie? That sounds more like a weird dream than grounds for ripping my head off.”  
  
“He’ll know you lied about being the one to bring him back, and that doesn’t bode well for this whole ‘teamwork’ operation we’re trying to build.”  
  
Barbara breathed out in frustration as she set the glass she’d been cleaning down onto the counter, turning to Tabitha with a forced smile. “Babe, you wanted Butch back; you got him back. You wanted the two of us to get along; _I made that happen_. And, yes, it might’ve meant telling a teeny white lie, but I’m really trying my hardest here. There are bigger fish to fry right now.”  
  
She brushed past her, walking back out into the main part of the club and setting the drinks she’d prepared down onto the table where Butch sat, none the wiser to their dispute.  
  
“What do you mean, ‘right now’? Penguin’s missing for the day!” Tabitha called after her, relentless though the discussion was tired. “What more can we do?”  
  
Barbara started to form a response as a sudden knock came from over by the entrance, a banging on wood that echoed throughout the room and caused a jolt of shock at the unexpectedness of this newcomer. Selina’s hand slowly started creeping around one of the guns in the bag, ready to defend herself should it become necessary and internally mapping out the best vantage points in case the visitor happened to be armed as well.  
  
“That won’t be necessary, Kitty Cat,” Barbara assured her, reaching over and lowering the weapon intertwined between her fingers. “This person’s a guest.”  
  
She stepped forward to greet their arrival, welcoming them without the slightest hint of worry in her voice and beaming like she was reconnecting with an old friend.  
  
“Jerome, at _last_ … Right on cue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed chapter one!
> 
> Next week: Jim, Harvey, Sofia, Zsasz, Ed’s inner struggles with the Riddler, and more!


	2. The Boy Scout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim receives some startling information, reconnecting him with old enemies as well as old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two!
> 
> This chapter is still SFW, but there is a very minor death and a small mention of blood towards the end.
> 
> Also, please forgive me for any mistakes or typos I may have made. I’m very tired.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“You spot anything, Harv?”

“Nothing by Robinson Park. Maybe they got smart and finally decided to just blow this craphole.”

“If they did, it probably wasn’t together. Doesn’t sound like Jerome and Penguin have had any further contact since the escape.”

Harvey sighed, settling down on a nearby bench as he gently lowered his fedora to the side. “Of course they haven’t. Why make things easier for us by sticking together to arrest in one strike?”

“We should consider ourselves thankful that they’re not conspiring.”

“Still, I picked a helluva time to come back, huh?”

“I’m glad you did,” Jim admitted, joining him on the seat with as genuine a smile as he could muster. It was the blessing of the ignorant to be blind to the fact that the job was good for little else besides grief and anguish, but Jim couldn’t help but be be selfish enough to wish his partner’s return long-stayed if I meant not having to go through the city’s destruction alone. “Precinct wasn’t the same without you.”

“I agree. It was more efficient,” Sofia quipped, strutting up to them with Zsasz trailing shortly behind, gun cocked and loaded like a beast preparing to pounce.

“If this is a shakedown...”

“Relax, Jim. I haven’t come to scold you for not nabbing Penguin yet. Believe me, I have more than enough collateral to protect me from his threats.”

“Then what _are_ you here for?”

“Oh, Victor and I were in the neighborhood and thought we’d stop by for a chat.”

“A _chat_?” Jim gauged, cheating death every second he continued to stare Zsasz down.

“I stumbled upon a slip of gossip I thought you might be interested in. Family drama, you could say, involving my sister-in-law.”

Harvey glared at her, eyebrows raised in suspicion as he fumbled to piece together the cryptic fragments of clues: an answer revealing itself in the form of an impossible thought he immediately dismissed too ridiculous to be true before letting it resonate long enough to show some merit. Almost reflexively, he whipped his head towards Jim, confirming the theory to be less absurd than it had first sounded when he saw the ghost-like expression being worn by the other man.

Truly, Jim seemed to have been drained of all color, taken aback by this sudden bombshell dropped at the most unseemly of moments. How long had it even been since he and Lee had parted? Four months? Eight? Time seemed an abstract concept then, those endless weeks blurring together and making him question for a moment if it had maybe only been a day since they’d lied side-by-side on the train as it prepared to depart.

“Lee’s back back in Gotham?”

“Apparently, Dr. Thompkins has been galavanting around in the Narrows, playing doctor with Penguin’s old chief of staff and some muscle-bound zombie I think used to be a gangster.”

“Wait a minute, she’s with _Nygma_?” Harvey interjected, attempting to wrap his mind around the idea. “Somehow that’s stranger than the zombie. Although, no, that part’s pretty strange too.”

“If you think _that’s_ odd, wait until I tell you about how they’re the ones who’ve been controlling the area, and for a good while now too. Lee’s built quite the little following to maintain her empire there.”

Jim’s eyes widened in revelation, starting to understand the hidden intentions behind this meeting as he slowly rose from the bench and advanced on Sofia.

“That’s why you’re really here, isn’t it? You’re making a play for Lee’s land and want our help to edge her along?”

“Let’s just say I would be very appreciative if you could use your history to reason with her and help me not have to resort to violence. I mean, we wouldn’t want violence, now would we, Jim?”

“No, I suppose we wouldn’t.”

“Good. I’m glad we had this talk then… Come along, Victor, it’s time to go and check up on the calvary,” she instructed, straightening her hat as she prepared to leave. “Detective, Captain, I trust I will find this matter resolved once I return.”

Jim watched as the two turned and made their way down the street, feeling powerless to defy orders when it meant that it would put the woman he loved at risk of being ambushed. Nothing was worth that, even if it meant helping Sofia to expand her control and push the city further into the mercy of a gang war. Unappealing as that sounded, there was simply no other choice.

Lee had to be saved, whatever the cost.

 

* * *

 

“Thank you for waiting!” Edward announced, signaling the attention of an eager crowd gathered around the ring. “Unfortunately, tonight’s fight has been postponed due to Grundy still being missing, but we promise to keep you informed as the situation develops. Until then, just… keep an eye out for a large man with white skin and a tendency to rip people’s limbs off. Okay? Great.”

The mob dispersed with lackluster disappointment, Edward breathing out a sigh of relief as he descended down from the stage.

“They seem to really listen to you,” a voice noted, causing him to stop in his tracks as the familiarity of it insighted intrigue.

“Jim Gordon? _Wow_. People don’t usually go to places if they know that everyone in the vicinity is out for their head, but I guess you were always one to walk on the side of danger, weren’t you?”

“I’m here to see Lee,” Jim explained, taking in his old coworker who appeared very much unchanged despite all the months since they had last spoke. “You look well, Ed.”

“Could be because I’m not frozen inside a block of ice anymore. No thanks to any of you policemen.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Sure you are,” Edward smirked, seeing past Jim’s lazy attempt at diplomacy. “Lee’s at her clinic. I can take you there, if you want. We were just about to start our meeting.”

“Meeting? For what?”

Edward gestured for Jim to follow, the two making their way through the arena and past a hall of tired apartments before landing at a dingy-looking door stained with fading paint.

“I should probably go in first instead of springing this on her without warning,” Edward reasoned, stepping inside as Jim became left alone with a growing nervousness that Lee might not even want to see him at all. _Don’t say that. Lee loves you_ , he reminded himself, repeating the words over and over like a mantra. _You did what you knew would be good for her. You did what you thought would be best._

“Jim?”

His debating was interrupted then by a face he had seen in his dreams every night since the station.

“Come inside. We’re waiting for you.”

He did as instructed, brushing past Lee as he stepped through the doorway to get his first glimpse at the contents of her office. In many ways, it was the same as her old lab had been back at the precinct: still organized, still brimming with optimism as only she could inspire. The room was a place where people who were desperate went in hopes of being healed, and, when they walked out, they walked out with a second chance at life. Nothing he had ever done as a detective or captain could measure up to that irreplaceable a gift.

“I like your place,” he commented, shuffling awkwardly as Lee came back inside and pulled up a chair. “I think it’s great, what you’re doing. This city needs someone like you to—“

“Lee, do you have any idea where I put my papers from earlier? I can’t seem find where I put them… Hold on, what the hell is _he_ doing here?” Oswald demanded, stepping into the room as Jim quickly jumped to his feet.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

“Penguin’s helping us take down Sofia,” Lee explained, fishing a file from out of her desk and handing it over to Oswald. “We need him if we’re going to win this war.”

Jim gaped at her, shocked and half expecting to find a flicker of deceit in her voice that would tell him there was an ulterior motive to justify harboring a dangerous convict who the police had been stretching every resource to find. When it seemed that she was being sincere, however, he turned to face Edward who was standing sullen in the corner, glaring with his arms crossed in disapprovement as he had been since Oswald’s arrival.

“You  _support_ this?”

“Ed’s doing what he knows we have to do to stop our home from being taken by that monster. Isn’t that right, Ed? After all, survival is what’s most important now.”

“That’s actually wanted to talk to you about,” Jim sighed, trying to push away thoughts of Penguin and Arkham to refocus on the task at hand. “Sofia came to see me today and asked if I could try to convince you to back down from this front you’re holding. She said that, if you don’t, things may begin to get violent. I know it’d be admitting defeat to surrender, Lee, but I think it’s the best option to keep you from getting hurt.”

“I don’t care about getting hurt, Jim, and I don’t care about whatever threats she makes that get you to think you’re in a position to tell me what to do.”

“I’m only trying to help.”

“Then help us take her _down_. She may run the underworld, but her power would amount to nothing if all of our forces teamed up to overthrow her.”

“I-I can’t…”

“Why? Does she have something on you?”

Jim turned silent, averting his gaze to the ground to keep from having to forge a lie. She had always been the one he could trust to tell his darkest secrets and most immoral deeds, never seeing him any differently just because he couldn’t always keep up the white knight act he tried so desperately to play when in the eyes of the public.

“Jim, do you think we could talk outside?” Lee asked, a tone too serious to risk saying no to. Jim gave a small nod of his head as he followed her out into the hall, leaving Oswald looking less than pleased with the current standing of his situation.

Once the two had vanished from sight, he slammed the stack of papers in his fist back onto Lee’s desk, beginning to pace about as he cursed under his breath until suddenly seeming to remember the other man in the room.

“You don’t have to stay here, Ed.”

“Yes, I do,” Edward answered, curtly. “You’re upset.”

“I’m _upset_? So what then, are you going to sit here with me and talk about my feelings until we hug and go skipping off down a meadow?”

Edward rolled his eyes, still not budging from his seat as he stared straight ahead with a fixed and cold expression.

“ _Well_?”

“When you used to get really upset like this you would take your glasses and chuck it against the wall.”

“So?”

“ _So_ , you would always end up cutting your hand and getting hurt. I’m trying to prevent that from happening.”

“Since when do you care if I get hurt?”

“I don’t!” He insisted, glaring at the other man in annoyance. “I just don’t need you becoming injured when we’re trying to take down the most powerful ganglord in the city.”

“Well, sorry if I’m not in the most pleasant mood at the moment. I reached out to Lee because I thought she was over that hypocrite boy scout, and now I’m worried he’s going to convince her to hand me back over to the authorities.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“I thought you didn’t care if I got hurt.”

“I don’t. But if you don’t get hurt in the first place then I don’t have to not care. Saves time.”

Oswald felt himself deflate, walking over to take a seat next to his old friend as he let his head fall into his hands with the weight of a tiresome day. Things had been going too good for too long, but the eventual unraveling of his empire had happened faster than he could process it, ruling the world one day and being burned by it the next.

“I feel like I keep reliving the same cycle over and over again. I rise only to fall; _that’s_ my destiny. Maybe I deserve it. Maybe I deserve all of the betrayals and conspirings against me because I’m incapable of bringing anything but pain and destruction to the people I care about.”

“That’s not true. I may have my opinions about you, Oswald, but we have to be fair to ourselves, and that’s not true.”

“It’s not? So you’re telling me that you were already planning on becoming a career villain who prances around the city with riddles and singing telegrams dressed as fruits just to get attention before we’d even met? That had _nothing_ to do with my involvement in your life?”

“I... I didn’t know you knew about the singing fruits thing,” Edward muttered, sheepish.

“Forget it, Ed,” he sighed. “I never blamed you, you know. I never blamed you for not being able to love me back when I was using my love as an excuse for what I did. You were the best friend I had ever had, and I’m sorry for hurting you. The worst part of it though is that I can’t honestly say I wouldn’t do the same thing over again if I had the chance to go back and alter our time together. As much as I want to, I’ll never change, and I’m worried that means I’ve been condemned to live a lonely and compassionless life.”

He turned to look towards Edward then only to find that the other man was staring down at his feet, deep in contemplation. _Had he even been listening to a word I was saying?_

“Ed…? What is it?”

“You never told me that you were sorry before.”

“I thought it was obvious that I was. At any rate, it’s not important now, and I don’t see why that matters.”

“In all of that time, from me tying you to her car to dragging you to the docks, you never actually admitted that what you had done was wrong or said that you were sorry. And now you _are_. You said you’d never change, but you just did. That gotta be worth _something_.”

“I suppose...”

“Well, Oswald?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry too...”

 

* * *

 

The shirek could be heard from buildings away, coming without warning and sending chills down the spine of even the most practiced of killers. Then, as quickly as it had started, there came laughter: deranged, hysterical laughter that the man screeched out beyond will until, finally, he dropped over onto the floor with a stillness more unsettling than any of his previous actions.

“Freaky,” Selina muttered, eyes glued to his body the one way might find themselves incapable of looking away from a car wreck.

“Freaky, innovative, call it whatever you’d like. It’s  _foolproof_.”

“And how exactly do we use this gas against Penguin?” Barbara demanded, looking more unimpressed than anything.

“Well, I’m assuming an upclose attack is out or else you’d just grab a armfull of guns and shoot them all until you’re the last one standing,” Jerome reasoned, carelessly twirling the canister of gas around in his hands before placing it down onto the table before them. “But if you set it up right, a room could be rigged so that whoever walked in would find themselves cackling into the coffin with no hopes of escape.”

“And you’re sure it’ll kill them?”

“Like roaches to a bug bomb.”

“Then, Tabby, go inform Sofia that we’re ready to begin the next stage of our attack,” she instructed, reaching out for the canister as the sketches of a plan began to unfold inside of her mind. “Let’s make this city ours once and for all.”

As she turned to leave, Barbara casted a final glance at the unwilling demonstrator, body unresponsive save for the blood still dripping down the sides of his chin. The corners of his lips had turned upwards, stretching his mouth into an demonic smile that stood engraved on his face like a carving in stone: a final and permanent reminder of the joke in which he had died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Please feel free to comment any suggestions/thoughts/criticisms, and I will see you all next Friday!


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward and Oswald begin to get closer as an unexpected complication disrupts their plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three!
> 
> I’m really excited for these next two chapters because I can start to focus more on Ed and Oswald’s dynamic now that the overall plot and conflict have been set up. This one is mainly dialogue and some development to help move their relationship along, but next week’s is going to start getting a little angsty, so that’s always fun.
> 
> Enjoy!

“This is where you saw him?” Oswald frowned, standing before the shattered mirror as he struggled to imagine Edward’s fist breaking through the glass. Ed had never been a man of violence or one to prefer brawn over brain when it came to solving disputes, leading Oswald to have assumed the events of the story exaggerated when he was first told about the altercation. But now, here it was, psychical proof of the torment Ed had been experiencing and may have even experienced during the height of their friendship though it had all gone overlooked. Not even their months of feud or petty rivalry were enough to stop the pang of regret that tore through his heart. “I’m sorry, Ed. I never realized—”

“It’s not your fault. I had my reasons for choosing not to tell you, but it just seemed time. I’m trying as hard as I can to fight this, Oswald, and I thought that maybe, if I didn’t have to go through it alone, I might stand a chance.”

“But why tell _me_?”

“You know me better than anyone,” Edward shrugged, gaze averted to keep from having to match the other man’s eyes. “I might wish it weren’t true, but it is. You know me in a way I don’t think anyone else ever could, no matter how close they get.”

“And what does all this have to do with you telling me you’re sorry the other day?”

“I’m still not entirely sure, to be honest. All I know is, after I saw him, I became desperate not to lose control to my persona again like I did the last time. Then I remembered the conversation I’d had with Lee right before it happened where she told me that we were friends and that she liked the man I’d become, and it all kind of just clicked into place after that.”

“What did?”

“Well, do you remember when I… _y’know_ , shot you?”

“Do I _remem_ —Yes, Ed, I remember.”

“Then do you also remember what you told me right before it happened? That thing about us being connected and needing each other? I hadn’t believed it at the time, Oswald, but I should’ve because, as it turns out, you were right. The Riddler hadn’t been some stronger or more confident version of myself that could help me learn to survive without you. All that he had been was lonely. He shut off his emotions to no longer have to feel the pain of you being gone, and I think that the reason I’m rejecting him now is because I’m scared of having to relive that isolation. I’ve realized that I like the feeling of having someone to care about, and I don’t want it to be taken away from me again.”

Oswald fell silent, drinking in the confession as the pieces started taking shape.

“And that’s why you apologized back?” He pursued, tone flat and unwelcoming. “I rambled on about not being able to love, and you took pity on me just because you’ve been having the same concern? That’s kind of pathetic, you know.”

“Of _me?_ ”

“Of both of us. That we’re so desperate and lonely we start spilling our hearts out to one another the minute we go a single conversation without making death threats.”

“It’s not pathetic. I’ve spent a very large majority of my life alone, and finally having someone who I feel comfortable enough revealing myself like this to is not pathetic,” Edward insisted, merely earning back a laugh from the other man in return.

“No one knows me better than you do either, Ed, but what does that matter now? It’s barely been a week and we’re already letting ourselves get lost in what we used to be. Conversations like these will just make the inevitable goodbye that much harder.”

“And is that what you want?” Edward pushed, advancing on him until a single step forward would send them colliding into each other’s embrace. “An inevitable goodbye?”

Oswald stood entranced, a million thoughts racing through his mind and the world seeming like endless blur of nonsensical matter all at once, when a sudden scream traveled up from the arena below them and overtook the room, forcing the two to abandon their conversation and investigate further.

“Lee?” Ed called, racing towards the heart of the action. “What’s going on?”

“I‘m not sure. I can’t get in,” she sighed, trying to budge through the dense crowd that had gathered around the club’s entrance.

“Hang on…” Oswald removed a gun from out of the inside of his coat, swiftly aiming the barrel towards the ceiling and sending a single bullet off into the air. The mob scattered immediately, people yelping in fright and quickly trying to duck in fear of a further attack as Oswald silently returned the weapon to its hiding place. “Shall we?”

The trio hurried forward, nearing the source of the commotion to find a body lying still on the ground before them, undoubtedly dead even before getting within feet of the corpse. Features became nonessential, the woman’s name and legacy now wiped away and replaced by the haunting image of her final moments which would remain forever engraved in the minds of those who passed by.

“What the hell happened to her?”

Oswald felt his heart drop, unable to look away from her wide, maddened eyes and inhuman smile that brought back to him memories of a crazed laughter and demonic man whom the definition of chaos itself couldn’t quite describe.

“Dr. Thompkins, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think we might want to call for backup…”

 

* * *

 

“Well?”

“The attack was definitely sent by Sofia,” Lee confirmed, taking a seat next to Edward as she pulled out the coroner's report and handed it over for him to glimpse. “Jerome must’ve been hired by her to make a move against Oswald, but, thankfully, they missed their target.”

“What does this mean?”

“It means she’s done being careful. It’s clear now that she won’t accept anything short of Oswald being taken out of the picture for good, and that puts anyone near him at risk of being caught in the crossfire. We’re going to need to lie low for a while until this all blows over and then come up with a new plan.”

“A new plan? Oswald _was_ our plan. I thought you said an alliance was the only way we could hope to win this war,” Edward reminded her, trying to keep the worry out of his voice though he was beginning to feel uneasy at where this conversation was headed.

“I know what I said, but I think Penguin needed us more than we needed him. He doesn’t have a resource left to his name, and, at this point, he’s become too much of a liability to be worth keeping on. I guess this is coming as good news though. You were always against him being here.”

“Maybe at the beginning I was, but you were able to turn me around, Lee, and now I’m in complete support of this arrangement.”

“You don’t have to keep pretending to be civil about this, Ed. It’s over. I’ve already called Jim and told him that we’re ready to fulfill our end of the deal.”

Edward stared at her like an unsolvable puzzle, never before finding himself so disheartened at not knowing the answer. “What deal?”

“The one I made with Jim that first day he showed up at the Narrows and asked me to step down. He agreed to join us so long as Penguin was handed over to the G.C.P.D. once we were finished, and I promised to comply.”

“So you agreed to send him back to _Arkham_?”

“Ed, what’s wrong? I didn’t think you’d mind. I thought you hated Penguin.”

“I do!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“N-Nothing…” Edward muttered, trying to ease the knot in his stomach with little success. He glanced behind Lee and through the small crack in the doorframe to spot Oswald walking past, phone glued to his ear as he was undoubtedly trying to resolve the mess that Jerome’s earlier stunt had created. “I-I have to go…”

He excused himself before she had the chance to respond, quickly slipping out into the hall and attempting to relocate his prey.

“Oswald? Oswald! You were right,  _again_. When Jim came here he had tried to talk Lee into selling you out, and she went for it. She’s going to call him over and have the police send you back to Arkham.”

“That rat! I _knew_  she couldn’t be trusted.”

“Don’t take this out on Lee! She only wants to do right by the city, and she must‘ve thought this was the only way to make up for aligning herself with you in the first place. We’ll just have to find another way to help you evade arrest.”

“ _How_?” Oswald spat, the room almost beginning to spin in loops around him as the realization of this checkmate sunk in. “Lee was my only hope, and now she’s turned against me as well. I have no other resources: nothing against Sofia, nothing against the G.C.P.D. There’s no other choice... I have to leave Gotham. I have to get out of town and escape until the heat dies down and I can safely make arrangements to forge a new identity.”

“Oswald, you can’t just flee and forget about the city you’ve worked so hard to reclaim.”

“Gotham isn’t mine anymore, Ed. The longer I stay, the more dangerous it becomes.”

“But, Oswald, you _can’t_. I mean, where would you go? What would I do without you?”

A sudden hush fell over the room, and Oswald felt all of the preparations and planning that were racing around his head freeze in place. He looked back up towards the man staring down at him with the eyes of an wounded deer, suddenly remembering where they were and how far they had come in such a short amount of time. If a few days were enough to make Edward go behind Lee’s back and warn him then who could say what would happen after a lifetime of working to mend their bond?

“Come with me,” he pleaded, almost a whisper, throwing the words out before he lost his nerve.

“You mean leave Gotham? I don’t know if I can...”

“Why not? You might have some friends and a home in the Narrows, but do you really think that’s enough to keep you happy in the long run? Come with me, and we can start a new world together where there’s no more gang wars and no more conspiracies to try and tear us apart.”

“But they _did_ tear us apart, Oswald. Do you really think that we can just forget about all of those awful things we did to each other and start over?”

“Maybe not. But, if you say yes, at least we’ll be given the chance to try… Don’t you think it’s at least worth it to try?”

Edward faltered, stumbling to make a choice though he knew that there was nothing left to decide. His choice had been set the moment he saved the life of a practical stranger who he’d found lost in the woods so long ago.

“Yes… Yes, let’s do it.”

Oswald lit up, bursting into an overjoyed smile as he let his body be carried by impulse and wrap Edward in a tight and passionate embrace. He had spent five months trying to let go of the feelings he felt for him, and those weeks hadn’t been enough.

“Then it’s settled. Pack your things, and take care of any final business you need to get done before we go. Tomorrow, we leave Gotham for good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Please feel free to comment any thoughts/suggestions/etc., and I’ll see you next time!


	4. Lilies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oswald and Edward prepare to leave Gotham, but will the city allow them such an easy departure?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the update’s a little late this week!
> 
> I hope you enjoy part four, and please take note that this chapter contains the use of a syringe/needle as well as minor violence.

 

* * *

All things considered, their plan was a relatively simple one. Edward had been dormant for more than five months and was of low interest to the police now, allowing him the opportunity to obtain a car without setting off any signals. They would drive out of the city and take off with enough money to keep them situated for one month, at which point they were hopeful it would have become safer to poke around and search for jobs. It was a gamble trying to determine how far the police would go when Oswald was discovered missing, being just as likely to send out an alert to the rest of the state as they were to let well enough be so long as he wasn’t an active threat, but the risk was one worth taking if meant they had the chance to get away.

“We can’t let that happen!” Sofia demanded, slamming her hands down onto the top of the bar as Barbara carefully slid a drink towards her in hopes of calming the incoming storm. She immediately dismissed it, no less hell-bent as she was momentarily distracted. “We celebrate once Oswald is either in our grasp or six feet under and not a moment before.”

“Well, _sorry._  I guess I just don’t understand the big whoop here. Maybe that attack didn’t work as expected, but, if intel says he’s planning on fleeing, then that takes him as much out of the picture as killing him would have and without the extra body cleanup. It seems pointless to get hung up on little details.”

“Little details?” Sofia scoffed, eyes rolling with dumbfounded amazement at the display of incompetence. “See, this is why you only ruled the underworld for a few insignificant months before getting taken out by your own second-in-command. No, those ‘little details’ mean the difference between whether or not I have to spend the rest of my life watching my back in a constant state of fear.”

“Penguin would be _gone_.”

“And what would happen if one day he woke up and decided to give another go at trying to reclaim his position? I would be unprepared, completely caught off guard, and Oswald will have had the opportunity to ready himself and make sure he’d be able to finish me off this time.”

“Fine. Then what do you suggest?” Tabitha interjected, playing peacemaker before Barbara became enraged enough to do Penguin’s job for him.

“I suppose we could always try to use that Martin boy again. After all, Oswald has no idea where he’s being kept,” Sofia suggested, drumming her fingernails against the counter as she let the idea resonate. “But, depending on where Zsasz brought him to, there’s no telling how long that would take. Are we sure that there are no other bargaining chips we could use who are already within the city’s limits?”

“No, there’s no one…” Barbara trailed off, face filling with suspicion as it occurred to her that the perfect pawn might’ve been dropped right into their laps without them even having noticed. “Where has Oswald been hiding again? The place we bombed with Jerome’s laughing gas?”

“Cherry’s Place in the Narrows. Why? What’s down there?”

“Not what: _who_. If I’m right, I think I may know one more person who we can use to force Penguin into surrender…”

 

* * *

 

The lilies were fresh and looked as if none of their natural beauty had been lost by being plucked up from the ground. Their expense, perhaps, was fairly larger than he’d been able to justify, but, if this was going to be the last time he ever got to visit the grave of the woman who gave him his life, Oswald figured it was as good a time as any to be extravagant.

“For you, Mother,” he offered, gently setting them down before the tombstone. “If fortune is kind, this may not end up having to be my last bouquet after all. Then again, I’m afraid fortune has never been too kind to me in the past.”

He knelt down onto the dirt, breathing a heavy sigh as he pushed back tears beginning to cloud his vision with bitterness and regret.

“I never understood how Ed could stand always having to dry off the water from his glasses whenever it poured. It would drive me insane,” he laughed, continuing to wipe his eyes clean of the sorrow. “Ed’s actually who I was hoping to come and talk to you about, see, I… I think I’m in love, Mother. I never thought that I would let myself feel this way again, but, even after everything that’s happened, when it really came down to it and I needed him most, he listened. He’s always listened. I forgot how much I loved talking to him. And I’m very in support of us deciding to go and try to find whatever type of friendship we used to share, but, if he wanted something more than that, I-I think I would let it happen… Anyway, I’ll try to get an arrangement set for your continued being taken care of as soon as I’m able to. I just wanted to let you know, before I leave for good, that I am safe, and that I think I‘ll be happy with this new chapter I’m starting. So, goodbye, Mother. And thank you for everything.”

He stretched back up and gave a final satisfied nod at the placement of her flowers before turning around to walk in direction of the street, feeling a little more at ease and a lot more optimistic that this forced departure might be the very chance at happiness he’d spent years clawing and scheming to find.

 _This is going to work,_ he promised himself. _Edward is willing to leave his life and run off into the great unknown, all for you. You’ve been given a second chance to tell him how you feel, and, this time, he’s not going to have to hear it through means of it being the motive for your betrayal. This time, you’re going to do it right._

“Ed? Ed, are you ready?” Oswald called, bursting into the entryway of Edward’s apartment at the clinic as he felt his excitement quicken with every step.

No response came, leaving a puzzling question in its wake as the presence of a luggage-filled car downstairs indicated that the other man had accomplished his job and arrived back at their meeting point with no complication.

“Ed, can you hear me? We really must be going. Lee will be coming home any minute now.”

“We’re in here, Oswald,” a response echoed from the adjoining room, the sound of the voice cutting through Oswald’s very core and making him feel as though he’d collapsed within himself. He advanced towards the kitchen, feeling an essence of dread continue to creep up on him as his most unwelcomed theories were confirmed. “Oh, good! I’m glad you finally made it.”

Sofia was standing in the center of the room, one arm wrapped around Edward’s chest to keep him in place as the other held a syringe up against the side of his neck. He was silent with fear and filled with a hopeless that shown through his pleading eyes, the image enough to make Oswald become consumed with rage on the spot.

“Let him go  _now_.”

“If you can just listen to me and cooperate, Oswald, then there’s no reason why Edward can’t walk out of here completely unharmed.”

“And if I don’t?” Oswald challenged, taking in the unfamiliar substance that occupied the barrel of her weapon. “What’s in there?”

“A liquified version of the laughing gas that Jerome introduced you to earlier. See, with the gas, the toxins get inside the mind of the body and affect the brain in maddening and uncontrollable ways. But _this_ ,” she continued, pushing the needle deeper against Edward’s skin. “This is just a recipe for quick and certain death. Here, I have one for you as well.”

She took an identical hypodermic out of the pocket of her coat, tossing it over to Oswald who caught it like it was a time-sensitive bomb.

“You expect me to use this on myself?”

“Yes, I do,” Sofia affirmed, gesturing towards the door. “I overheard a phone conversation out there between Lee and a person whom I assumed was Jim Gordon discussing plans for your arrest which should be beginning in no more than five minutes time. Either you trade his life for yours and send your dear friend here on his merry way, or he dies and you’ll be sent back to Arkham to live out the rest of your existence in misery and defeat. The choice is up to you.”

Oswald glanced up from the poison and into the other man’s face, terrified and, for the first time in Edward’s life, at a complete loss for words.

“If I do this,” Oswald began, slowly uncapping the top of the needle. “I need your promise that, once I’m dead, you will keep your word to let Ed go and never threaten to harm him again.”

“I swear to you on my father’s grave.”

“Good…”

“Oswald? Oswald, what are you doing?” Edward gasped, watching in shock as Oswald began to roll up the sleeve of his shirt.

“Quiet, Ed. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”

“Oswald, don’t do this. _Please_ , not for me. I’m not worth it. There has to be another way.”

“There _is_ no other way. I love you, Ed. We were so close to getting our happy ending, and I’m sorry that I can’t give it to you anymore. But the fact that you forgave me means more to me than I could ever put into words. If my doing this ensures your safety then I will not have died a meaningless death. Remember that.”

Time stood still, Edward watching in horror as the other man prepared to make his greatest sacrifice. But should it have really come as that much of a shock? Oswald had always been ready to sacrifice himself for him, even when under the undisputable knowledge that Edward wanted him dead. That night at the Sirens, that day on the pier, maybe those claims hadn’t been made in self-interest after all. Maybe it was possible that there was someone out that who could really care for him enough to say that they would rather die than give him up and not be playing a con. Yes, there was someone out there who really did love him. And Edward was about to lose him.

It was then that Edward learned that one could act without thinking while also being completely aware of what they were doing. In a quick motion, he stretched his arm forward and grabbed hold of Sofia’s hand, forcing the needle into his neck as the injection caused an immediate wave of dizziness to cloud to his head.

He fell out of her grasp and collapsed down onto the floor below, hearing Oswald yell out in panic as he scrambled forward to take Edward’s limp body in his arms.

“Ed? Ed, are you alright? Can you hear me?”

Sudden lights began to blare from outside of the apartment window, and Oswald heard the deafening sound of siren alarms as Sofia collected her supplies and swiftly made her way towards the exit.

“I’m sorry it had to turn out like this, Oswald, but at least I can leave reassured that you will never pose a threat to me again. I thought it wouldn’t be enough just having you locked away, but I think you’ve realized now that the cost of going up against me will never be worth it.”

“You will _pay_ for this!” He spat, glaring at her through burning red eyes. “I swear to you, I will not rest until this entire city has been torched to the ground and sent you rotting in hell!”

“Goodbye to you, too, Oswald. I doubt we’ll be seeing each other again.”

She left without looking back, Oswald resentfully giving in to letting her earn an easy escape as he remained rooted next to Edward whose chin was quickly turning red with blood as it dripped down the corners of his mouth. His eyes were closed and motionless, giving no presence that he was now anything more than an empty shell of a once living man.

“Edward? Edward, say something. _Please_.”

“Oswald?” He murmured, using every ounce of strength he still possessed to get the words to carry out. ”You need to get out of here. The police will be up any minute.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Oswald…”

“Why? Why did you posion yourself? You knew it was going to kill you. Why would you do something like that?”

“I would do anything for you,” Edward whispered, voice sluggish and faltering as the feeling of unconsciousness began to overtake him. “I promised you that a long ago, and, even though I let my hate and anger blind me, I had meant it. I was so scared of becoming the Riddler again and having to relive that feeling of solitude and isolation, but now I know that, no matter what I do, I will never truly be alone anymore because you loved me in a way that I never thought another human being would be capable of loving me in. You loved me in a way I don’t deserve. And I love you too.”

Oswald felt his breath begin to hitch, quickly trying to push away feelings of a worst case scenario as he refused to resign to the idea of giving in to fate. Fate had dealt them a fair share of unpleasantness throughout the course of the past year, but it had also once been the cause of them finding one another in the first place back when they were barely strangers, and Oswald was determined to bring back that chance of good fortune and get fate on their side once again.

“Just hang in there, Ed. I’m going to get you help. Everything’s going to be okay...”

”G.C.P.D., drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!”

The squad barged in with guns at the ready, surrounding Oswald as he quickly tore a small pistol from out of the inside of his coat and tossed it to the floor before them. Jim stared at him with cautious disbelief as Harvey made a move to snatch the discarded weapon.

“I give in to your authority,” Oswald declared, slowly rising to his feet as he opened up his empty fists as proof of his being sincere. “Take me in, throw me back behind bars, do whatever you want with me, but, _please_ , help him!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, funny story! I actually already have a fic where Edward sacrifices himself for Oswald and almost “dies” in Oswald’s arms, and I wasn’t going to go down a similar plot like that again, but then Cory posted that picture of himself covered in blood and I just really wanted to incoperate it. Don’t worry though, I’ll tell you right now that Ed’s not going to die. Just a bit of angst to add some drama.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> As always, please feel free to comment any thoughts/suggestions/etc., and I’ll see you next time for part five!


	5. Born on a Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee visits Oswald in holding as the G.C.P.D. prepares to transfer him to Arkham. Meanwhile, Butch begins to get suspicious of what’s really going on with the Sirens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again!
> 
> Sorry it’s been a while. I decided to skip last week’s update what with the Super Bowl (Go Eagles!) and everything that was going on, but I’ve returned!
> 
> Here’s part five, which is mainly the aftermath of what happened in the last chapter combined with the beginnings of Lee’s new plan. It’s still safe for work, and there aren’t any new tags to be aware of.
> 
> Enjoy!

Lee arrived at the precinct to muffled gasps and wide-eyed stares, officers stealing quick and nervous glances with one another as she brushed past the whispers and kept her gaze focused on the holding cells.

“It’s about time.”

“I don’t mean to make your one phone call go to waste, Oswald, but there’s nothing you could say that would convince me to break you out of here,” Lee insisted, asserting a firm and cold stance before he even had the chance to plead his case.

“That’s not what this is about.”

“Then what? If you’re upset about me turning you over, I would kindly remind you where you are and advise against seeking vengeance while you’re already facing murder charges.”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself, Lee. I’ve suffered far worse betrays than this over the course of the past year alone. Now, here...” He gently pulled a folded piece of paper out of the pocket of his coat, passing it to her through the bars. “You don’t have to help me escape, but, please, if you could just deliver this to Ed—“

“Ed’s in a coma. Because of you, as I understand it.”

“I know, and, believe me, I’ve been consumed by guilt since last night. But it’s very important that this message gets to him.”

Lee’s eyes narrowed in uncertainty, sizing up the letter as if there might’ve been some secret bomb tucked inside the paper. “What does it say?”

“Nothing important. You can read it if you want. I just scribbled it out when they asked me to write a report of what had happened. It seems likely that I’ll be trapped inside of Arkham when he wakes up, so I wanted to make sure he’d at least know I’m thinking of him.”

Her face softened, mannerism staying cautious and skeptic though there way no denying that a chord had been struck inside of the ever bleeding heart she’d tried so desperately to harden.

“I guess there’s no harm in dropping it off while I’m already there.”

“Thank you. And, I mean it, Lee, I have no ill intentions towards you for this. You love Jim, and it’s only natural that those feelings would make you blind to the fact that you were a pawn in his own quest for self-righteousness.”

With the drop of a hat, the room turned cold, Lee finding herself taken aback as all brief feelings of empathy vanished as quickly as they’d came. “I’m no one’s pawn.”

“Of course you’re not. That’s why we had a very promising alliance beginning to take shape until Jim came galavanting through the door, and now I’m being carted away like a show pony put on display for the entire city to laugh at my misfortune.”

“Our alliance was never anything more than you being the lesser of two evils. I thought you might’ve held the key to taking down Sofia, but it turns out I was mistaken. Jim had nothing to do with why I turned on you.”

“Forgive me, but that’s complete nonsense. I mean, you think you could run the Narrows for as long as you did and not have a knowledge on leadership to match my own? You never really needed my help. You could’ve taken her down all by yourself if it wasn’t for the fact that you’re too afraid of the dark to do what needed to be done,” he explained, Lee’s mouth opening in argument though there was nothing he’d said that she felt could be debated. “Face it, Lee, whether it’s Jim Gordon or personal morals, you’ve always been held back from reaching your full potential. Between your mind and your ambitions, I’d wager you could’ve been even more successful than Sofia if you’d tried to take over before she first arrived.”

“I don’t _want_ to take over. I’m not held back, but I also know the difference between right and wrong.”

“Say what you will, but that traitor threatened your home, is practically holding your people hostage, and has put your friend in a comatose state that he may never come out of. Why haven’t you done anything about it?”

“I _have_. You should know that. We were supposed to be making arrangements together.”

“And now I’m out of the picture. So tell me, Doctor Tompkins, if you’re really not being held back, how far are you willing to go to finish what we started?”

”You underestimate me, Oswald.”

”Is that so?”

“Yes. And I’m going to prove it to you.”

 

* * *

 

A revolution squashed before it had even begun. A testament to her very own leadership, Sofia imagined, the swiftness in which Penguin was taken down boding well for her kingdom to remain standing no matter what the city threw at it.

“You seem happy,” Barbara smirked, noting the bright and venom-filled expression that Sofia had been wearing with pride all morning. “Especially considering you were ready to start tearing off heads not a day ago.”

“Why shouldn't I be happy? In only an hours time, Penguin will be back behind bars and never again pose a threat to our empire. I’m almost glad it worked out this way instead of having him die in the gutter. Now I get to rub the defeat in his face.”

“Unless, of course, Ed wakes up.”

“That’s impossible. I made sure that the police were surrounding the building and that Edward as good as dead before I left.”

“Well, sorry to tell you, but ‘good as dead’ doesn’t mean zip in this town anymore. There’d been an ambulance that came along, and Ed was brought onto it and taken to a hospital where they’ve been working to get the poison out of his system. If they manage to save him, he might make Oswald’s stay at Arkham as short-lived as the last time.”

Sofia seemed to falter despite herself, an unmistakable flicker of nervousness penetrating her guard despite how reassured she’d been by the faint feeling of success. She promptly brushed the news off of her shoulders, giving a relaxed shrug as she put on a faux-brave smile that was tainted with fear. “Oswald’s being placed in their most secure and guarded holding cell. I’m not worried about him escaping again. Besides, we’ve seen what that concoction of Jerome’s can do. It’s highly unlikely Edward will make it, so the conversation is moot.”

Barbara gave her a doubtful look, not falling prey to Sofia’s calm demeanor though she felt too tired to start another fight. Thankfully, the doors to the club opened then, giving both the opportune excuse to forfeit the conversation.

“Butch, thank God, I’ve been waiting for you all afternoon,” Sofia huffed, stretching up from the bar stool as she removed a scrap of paper from her bag. “This is a list of several Eastside correspondents who were less than thrilled at the news of Penguin’s escape with Jerome last month. Kindly convey to them that the problem’s been taken care of, and feel free to use as much force as you see fit if they still have any doubts regarding my leadership.”

“I can be more than a muscle.”

“Of course you can, Butchy,” Barbara smiled, resting her arm on his shoulder as she gave an affectionate bop to his nose. “It may just take a little more time for us to figure out your place in the group now that you’re back.”

“I know, it’s just—”

“And, until then, as tedious as this grunt work may be, it’s been really helping us out here. So don’t you think you can be the team player for just a little while longer? I promise it’ll be worth your patience.”

Butch breathed out in defeat, looking from Barbara to Sofia and realizing that any further attempts at objecting would be futile in the end and only prove a waste of time. “Sure…”

“There! See? I’m feeling more and more confident about my decision to bring you back to life everyday.”

Sofia rolled her eyes, turning her focus to something more worthy of her attention as a ringer began to sound from where her phone was resting on the counter beside them.

“Hello...? Hang on, slow down, I— _What?_ Yes. Yes, I’m on my way,” Sofia stammered, shutting the receiver before chucking the device to the other side of the room in rage. “Barbara, call Tabitha and Selina and have them meet us at the precinct. Oswald escaped custody during the holding transfer.”

“You’re not serious?”

“The main problem was supposed to be actually keeping him _in_ Arkham this time once he arrived. I never imagined that the police could be so incompetent as to lose him before they even made it to the gates.”

“How did this happen?” Barbara demanded.

“It doesn’t matter. We need to get down there as quickly as possible to try and resolve this before he makes it far. Butch, just forget the list and stay here to keep an eye out.”

He did as told, watching from the sidelines as the pair went off to actually do something productive for the cause. If only Tabitha had been there. She would have defended him. _She_ would have recognized the true potential he had to be a valuable member of the team beyond smashing skulls. He was grateful enough to be a part of the team at all and find Barbara a friendlier and more gentle presence than she had been in the past, but there was still something wrong about the situation that gave him an unsettled feeling he couldn’t quite seem to shake.

“Butch, are you okay? You seem distressed.”

“Who—?  _Lee Thompkins?_ What the hell?”

Lee slowly emerged alongside an unfamiliar face from out of their hiding spot in the next room over, her presence making Butch tense with remembrance of their last altercation and what she had done to him while under the influence of the Tetch Virus.

“It’s okay, Butch. I just want to talk,” she assured him, noting his skittish expression and trying to keep a gentle step. “I’ve been looking for you for a while now. I’m guessing you don’t remember anything about being Grundy or performing with us at Cherry’s fight club in the Narrows.”

“ _Us_?” Butch asked, an eyebrow raising itself as he cast a glance at the stranger standing behind her.

“I meant you, me, and Ed. We used to make quite the team.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I know this is going to be a lot to take in, but, don’t worry, we won’t have to strain ourselves trying to get you to understand. That’s why I brought her,” Lee explained, gesturing her head back to the companion whose identity still remained unannounced. “Just let her do her job first then the rest will all come together.”

“Who is she?”

“Her name’s Ivy Pepper. She’s a child I used to know through the G.C.P.D. who's undergone a bit of a, um… _change_ these past few months that’s left her with some unique abilities.”

“Abilities?”

“I think she may be able to jog your memory so that you can keep this level of intellect and still remember what happened after being shot.”

“I already know what happened. Barbara Kean saved me. She felt guilty for what she did and made an honest attempt to undo her mistake.”

“I’m afraid that’s not the whole truth,” Ivy pipped in, advancing on Butch as he found himself becoming frozen like a deer in headlights at the very aura of her presence. She was captivating and entrancing all at once while also evoking something inside of him that felt eerily similar to terror. “Just let me see if I can clear your mind, and then we’ll tell you our proposition. Plants have the ability to do a number of extraordinary things, if only we know how to take advantage of them, and certain toxins’ affect on the brain have been shown to have miraculous results.”

“I don’t know if… Wait,  _plants_?”

Ivy reached out and touched the tip of her finger to his forehead, a brightness beginning to cloud his vision as wisps of what felt like a dream began to flash through his mind, appearing more and more real by the second with cheering crowds and a man clad in green who embraced him with both arms as they celebrated in victory.

“Holy crap… W-What’s going on?”

“ _Well_?” Lee perked, trying to get a read of his face as Ivy stepped back to determine the success of their experiment.

“I can’t believe it,” Butch gasped. “Barbara’s been lying to me this entire time! I’ve got to tell Tabby, and… Does Tabitha know? Of course she knows. She was _there_. They all were. Watching me in that state, knowing what I’d become. These past weeks have been filled with nothing but manipulation and deceit!”

“Calm down, Butch,” Lee frowned, hurrying to his side. “Everything’s going to be alright, I promise. You’ve gone through a bit of a jarring experience recently, and it’s time something goes your way for a change. I think I’ve come up with a plan that can overthrow Sofia once and for all, but I’m going to need as many reinforcements as I can get to pull it off.”

“I don’t wanna risk my life just to help someone like Penguin gain back his power.”

“No, not Penguin. Not _anyone_. Gotham will finally be free from ganglords and war violence. Don’t you see? This is a chance for the city to finally be safe again. Could I at least share what I had in mind?”

Butch opened his mouth to respond, about to absolve himself from getting tangled in another one of the underworld’s mess of armed dramas when a sudden thought occurred that he never imagined in a million lifetimes would matter to him.

“Lee… Where’s Ed?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Please feel free to comment any thoughts/suggestions/etc., or feel free to reach me at @/gothamvillains on Tumblr.
> 
> Next week is going to be the final chapter, so get ready! I decided to incorporate some of the spoilers that we’ve gotten for 4b so far when thinking about the best way to end it.


	6. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oswald has escaped custody and Butch has gone into league with Lee and Ivy, but there’s still much to be resolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter!
> 
> I'm sorry this update is coming out a little later than usual, but I hope you guys enjoy the ending!

The knocking came persistently, sending shivers down Oswald’s spine as logic and reasoning told him that it was likely the police, coming, at last, to collect their prize. Quickly, he moved to snap off the radio, breath hitching as he waited in anticipation and hope that whoever it was would soon move along.

“Oswald? Oswald, it’s me. Please say you’re home.”

His eyes widened in sudden shock, scrambling over towards the window as he practically ripped the curtains in two trying to tear them open.

_“Ed?”_

“Hi,” Edward smiled, eyes filled with a gentle nervousness. His hair was messy and unkempt, clothes still stained with spots of blood as he’d clearly not given enough thought to change into something fresh. But he was alive and breathing. Looking like he hadn’t slept for months, but alive. “I hope I’m not upsetting you by dropping by like this.”

“N-No, of course not. I’m just a little surprised is all. I mean, I’d heard you were out of the hospital, but how did you _find_ me?”

“You’re not exactly a ghost, Oswald. The people of the Narrows have noticed you in hiding here; they’re just not very eager to help the police. I have to admit though, I wasn’t expecting it to take so much effort just to track you down. I read your note almost as soon as I regained consciousness, but it didn’t mention anything about where’d you gone or how to reach you.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. The truth is, I started heading for you at Gotham General the second I evaded custody. It took everything I had to force myself to stop and turn back around.”

“Why?”

“ _Why_?” Oswald scoffed, incredulous. “Because you’d been living safe and happy in the Narrows for months without getting so much as a scratch, and then the second I pop back into your life you wind up in a coma in the ICU!”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Edward frowned.

“It doesn’t matter. You could’ve _died_ , and, frankly, the fact that you’re here now and seem as healthy as you do is a miracle.”

“It wasn’t a miracle, Oswald. Someone _saved_ me, and if you just follow my lead I can show you who they—”

“No. It doesn’t matter. I can’t take any chances now, especially when it’s your life that’s at stake. I’m following through with our plan to flee the city before the police catch up with me, but I’ve decided to do it alone this time. However, if you say that there’s someone responsible for your recovery, then, please, thank them for me. Leaving this place won’t be as hard it seemed so long as I know you’re alright.”

Edward turned silent, no longer aware of how cold it was outside as he seemed ready to stand in front of Oswald’s stoop until morning if that was what it took to convince him. It wasn’t as if he was unfamiliar with the feeling—Kirsten’s death and the fact that it was his fault still ringing with constant regret inside of his mind—but he wasn’t about to let Oswald use that same guilt as an excuse to condemn them to lives apart.

Carefully, he removed a scrap of paper from out of the pocket of his jacket, Oswald recognizing it immediately as his own letter that he’d written as a way of assuring Edward he’d always care without having to actually confront him. In hindsight, it was probably foolish to have assumed that the universe would allow him to cut their tie so smoothly when they’d never been capable of doing so in the past, and it made him weirdly sick to his stomach to think about the idea of them having a goodbye that finally stuck.

“Ed—”

“Wait, please, just listen… ‘I also want to take this time to admit to you a lie that I told when I was still unsure of where our relationship was heading. That day in the Narrows when Jim Gordon barged in and we were left alone in uncomfortable silence, I had said that, if given the chance to go back, I would still make the selfish decision and kill your Isabella,’ by the way, thank you for finally getting her name right,” Edward smiled, glancing up at the other man to make sure he was still paying attention before clearing his throat to continue on. “Anyway, ‘That’s what I thought was true, but, as it turns out, I was wrong. If I had the opportunity to change things, I would have sacrificed my happiness, and I would've let you slip away, and I would’ve watched as you continued to fall in love with someone who wasn’t me, no matter how much it hurt, so long as it meant not losing you. Nothing will ever be worth losing you,’ and I think you get the point.”

Oswald sighed, running fingers through his hair in exasperation.

“I know what I wrote,” he mumbled, giving a roll of his eyes as Edward gently tucked the paper back inside his pocket. “It sounds more pathetically sentimental than it is. You weren’t expected to find me here, and I just didn’t want you to feel like I’d abandoned you while you were defenseless.”

“It’s not pathetic, Oswald. It’s genuine. Nothing was worth losing me? Well, I’m right here. You said you were going to leave Gotham and asked me to come with you. _You_ asked _me,_ remember?”

“I know, but—”

“And you might think you’ll only be putting me in danger, but I don’t mind. I wouldn’t have minded if Jerome’s toxin had ended up killing me because I _love_ you, and I never want to have to be without you again.”

Oswald felt something break inside of him, staring deep into Edward’s pleading eyes and realizing that he was going to hurt him either way. Slowly, he pulled down the window and locked it closed, drawing the shade as Edward reached out in an effort to touch something that wasn’t there.

The night seemed to turn darker around him, and it wasn’t until the streetlamps died completely that he collected enough strength to finally start making his way towards the parked car that was waiting on the other side of the street to take him home. Home. The word had never had any meaning for him growing up, and, even after breaking away from his parents, his next apartment proved too empty to make him feel truly content. In fact, it wasn’t until he had brought Oswald back that the place ever actually started to feel like his own, and the strange mansion that he found himself being brought to after the unpleasantries of Arkham never felt too unfamiliar so long as Oswald was by his side. Truly, Oswald had used to define home for him. And now his home was gone. How could Oswald think that what he was doing was in their best interest?

He walked forward as if there were chains attached to his feet, not feeling in any particular hurry to get anywhere, when the sudden sound of a door opening came from behind him.

Instinctively, Edward whipped his head around, seeing the figure emerge from the building’s entrance and dash across the lawn to catch up to the other man as his heart suddenly stopped.

“Oswald—?”

Before he knew it, Oswald’s lips were against his, and his hands were cupping his face as Edward felt everything inside begin to tremble. Slowly, his reached his arms around Oswald’s waist and pulled him even closer, their kiss lasting an eternity as the darkness around them started not to seem so lonely anymore.

 

* * *

 

“Why are we going to the clinic this late at night?”

“You’ll see. We’re almost there,” Edward promised, pulling Oswald along as they descended down a flight of stairs and reached the entrance to Lee’s office. “Now, before we go in, I’m going to need you to promise me that you’ll keep an open mind about this.”

“ _Ed_ …”

“Just promise.”

Oswald held up his hands in surrender, giving in to Edward’s mystique as he pulled open the door and gestured for him to step inside.

“Ed, your back!” Butch grinned, walking over to crush him in what seemed like a painful embrace.

“Alright! _Alright_ … Seriously, Butch, I can’t breath.”

Butch finally dropped him, glancing over at Oswald who appeared baffled by the unexpected pairing of friends.

“It’s a long story,” Edward shrugged.

“And who’s she?” Oswald asked, noticing a fourth party who was standing with her arms folded in the corner of the room, looking less than thrilled about his arrival.

“Oswald, this is Ivy Pepper. I’m told that you used to know each other.”

“ _Ivy_?” Oswald gasped, taking in her new appearance and not believing that it had been the same woman who saved him from the river so long ago. “What happened to you?”

“Well, after being underestimated for the final time, I decided to go and find a way to actually make a change in this city.”

“She’s got these powers now that allow her to control various plants and herbs and harness their properties,” Edward explained, the mere science of it sparking eager curiosity inside of him. “That’s what woke me up from the coma. Lee had found her then took the three of them to the hospital to try and bring me back.”

“And now that she has, how does Lee expect to deal with Sofia if she wants to stay here in this little hobble you both care so much about?”

“See for yourself…”

Edward gestured in front of them, prompting Oswald to turn around as he suddenly noticed a mess of forms and newspaper clippings covering a battered table in the center of the room. He edged closer until words began to form out of the blur of lines, seeing the names of criminals and convicted murderers compiled onto a list of possible allies in handwriting that he recognized as Lee’s.

“Dr. Thompkins wants to recreate my army of freaks,” Oswald reasoned, returning the report on Victor Fries that he’d been skimming to its place in the pile. “It’s ambitious, but not original.”

“Actually, she’s thinking about going a different route then just some glorified henchmen to hold our guns,” Ivy deadpanned, pushing aside various records to reveal more prospects underneath.

“Jonathan Crane? _Jervis Tetch?_ These are some of the most dangerous villains the city’s ever faced! What the hell is she thinking?”

“Lee must’ve been inspired by the talk you two had at the G.C.P.D. She says she wants to create a band of rogues so extreme that, even if she gets cold feet in the middle of the plan, there’d be nothing she could do to stop them. Personally, I think it’s a little too dark for her taste, but who am to judge?” Edward smirked, handing him a map of the city they’d been marking to try and pinpoint the location of their next recruit. “The research is thorough, but of course there’s also the matter of what will happen once the assault is over. I mean, we’re talking about destroying the system as we know it here, and it’s kind of hard to reclaim a throne if there isn’t one left to reclaim… Are you alright with that?”

Oswald let the idea resonate for a moment, a picture forming of him and Edward standing on top of the crumbled ruins of an empire, no longer running, no longer fighting. Maybe they would even be able to relocate Martin once the ash had settled and start a proper family inside of a proper home that they didn’t have to keep guarded in fear of an ambush. In all honesty, it didn’t sound half bad.

“Oswald…?”

“I’ve held this position for so long, always trying to kill my way back to it whenever it was threatened by Sofia, or Barbara Kean, or Fish Mooney. You know what the last thing Fish said to me was before she died? She told me to make this city mine or burn it to the ground. I’ve spent more energy than I possess trying to reach that first goal, and all it’s gotten me is pain. I’m tired of trying to be that man who pretended he could match up with Gotham’s elite and become a person of importance, and I think it’s time Gotham learns that the elite aren’t the ones who get to dictate how the future of our city pans out. I want option two. I want to set this city up in _flames_. Let Lee form her little team, and let them show this city where corruptness and deception leads.”

“So, what are you saying?” Edward pushed, trying to meet Oswald’s eyes and finding them consumed by an unfamiliar glint of madness. Despite it all, he allowed himself to see it as a sign of hope. “Does this mean we can stay here? _Together?_ ”

Oswald said nothing in response, merely grabbing hold of Edward’s tie to pull him down into another passionate kiss as a way of sealing his promise and the future that they would share alongside their newfound band of rogues.

“I’m sorry, but could we save all of that for _after_ we’ve taken down the powerful ganglord?” Ivy grimaced, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a gun off of the couch and tossed it in their direction. Edward fumbled, catching it ungracefully before an identical one came hurtling after that was issued out to Oswald. “Good. Now, let’s get going. Jonathan Crane was just spotted in a holding van being transferred back to Arkham. Lee’s waiting for us up by the gates to make a move and bust him out before he’s put behind bars.”

She ushered them through the door, Butch trailing after her and Edward following closely behind until he looked back to see Oswald standing rooted in his spot. His expression seemed troubled, eyes locked on the gun like he was in deep contemplation regarding the use of it for what they were about to do.

“Oswald, are you okay?”

He snapped out of his trance, gazing up at the other man and remembering everything he had to to fight for before readjusting his grip on the weapon.

“I’m perfect,” he promised, grabbing hold of the Edward’s hand as he realized that, any storm that came his way now, he would no longer have to brave alone. “Let’s send Gotham to hell…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading! :)
> 
> I had been getting stuck on how to end this because I wanted it to be happy without everything suddenly seeming to get wrapped up too perfectly, so I settled for incorporating some of the 4b spoilers we've gotten so far and went for the cliffhanger route with the rogues beginning to form their team.
> 
> If you have any final thoughts/feelings/suggestions/so on, please feel free to comment or reach me on Tumblr @/gothamvillains, and I hope you all enjoy the return of Gotham next Thursday night!


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